CHENNAI: The rough seas on account of cyclone Mandous have damaged the newly built ramp on the Marina beach for persons with disabilities to easily reach the water without manoeuvring their way through the beach sands.
The ramp which was inaugurated only recently on November 27, was constructed at a cost of Rs 1.14 crores and was made of babool, red meranti and Brazilian wood. However, the waves have now damaged a portion of the deck of the 263-metre ramp.
Smitha Sadasivan of the Disability Rights Alliance (DRA) who was among those instrumental in planning and constructing the ramp told TNIE that city corporation officials have promised to fix the ramp after the cyclone.
When contacted, a senior corporation official said that on inspection of the nature of the damages, the ramp was easily fixable without incurring much of an additional cost for the civic body.
The ramp was said to be the first permanent CRZ-compliant ramp in the country for persons with disabilities and since its launch, has been used by many persons with disabilities, especially during the weekends, to reach the water.
Corporation officials said that since the materials used were to be compliant with coastal regulatory laws, not all materials like concrete can be used. Officials will also discuss shortening the length towards the wavefront, they said.